[My mother is also a physician].
When the mother of the authoress started her medical education in 1949, 15% ofthe students were female. When the authoress followed in her footsteps 27 years later, about 30% of the students were female. In 2008, marking the 75th anniversary of the Dutch Association of Medical Women, the figure has risen to 66%. When the authoress began studying medicine, her mother, then 45, decided to specialise in microbiology. Her father, a teaching neurologist, increased his contribution to housekeeping so that his wife could realise her career move. It is sad that nowadays examples like this are still needed. Even when women outnumber men in medicine, the sexes are not represented equally in higher positions. The life of young female physicians is complicated as they combine work and home and struggle to divide time and attention among both areas. There is no easy solution, but historic examples of female physicians are a source of inspiration.
Ansink
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Erasmus MC-Daniel den Hoed, afd. Gynaecologie, Postbus 5201, 3008 AE Rotterdam. a.ansink@erasmusmc.nl
D002321:Career Choice; D002322:Career Mobility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution